Program Finance Manager

Natural Resources Defense Council • New York, NY

2d • $100,000 - $110,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Beijing; Chicago; New Delhi; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; and Washington, D.C. NRDC is seeking a Program Finance Manager to work with the Finance team in the New York office. Position Summary The Finance team plays an integral role in overseeing the financial management of NRDC’s grants and supporting the financial budgets of our advocacy programs. The team also partners closely with the CFO on the overall strategy and management of the finance organization, including managing partnerships with internal stakeholders and leading large-scale, cross-functional strategic, control and infrastructure initiatives that support the long-term financial sustainability of the organization. The Program Finance Manager will oversee the finance management of the grants, pre- and post-award, as well as guide and serve as key point of contact for the Advocacy teams for grant and budget related items. The position you are applying for is part of the bargaining unit represented by The Washington Baltimore News Guild (WBNG / The Newsguild-CWA Local 32035 ).

Requirements

• BA/BS degree required. Advance degree in business related discipline, CPA, CMA, or CFA a plus.
• 4-7 years of progressive experience with monitoring grant budgets and expenditures and preparing grant reporting, with both pre- and post-award phases.
• 2-3 years of experience in working with foundation grants in a not-for-profit environment preferred.
• Experience with financial planning tools (e.g., Adaptive Insights, NetSuite, Workday, or similar).
• Familiarity with Accounting systems (Great Plains or Dynamics) and dashboards (PowerBI or Tableau) a plus.
• The individual must possess strong multi-tasking, critical thinking, and judgement, and be able to organize and prioritize independently based on competing timelines.
• Ability to communicate effectively across a broad spectrum of staff, both orally and in writing required.
• Demonstrate ability to perform in a team environment with excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
• Proficient in the use of financial management software and MS office including navigating excel spreadsheets, building out models and managing databases.
• Exposure to Great Plains and Power BI dashboards are a plus.
• Numeracy and detail-oriented self-starter with ability to complete tasks with little or no supervision.
• Able to adapt to change management including operational processes and new system platforms.
• Attention to detail is critical.
• Demonstrates a collaborative and flexible style, with a strong follow-up skill.
• Ability to travel to NRDC U.S. based offices, approximately 10-15% annually
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles

Nice To Haves

• Advance degree in business related discipline, CPA, CMA, or CFA a plus.
• 2-3 years of experience in working with foundation grants in a not-for-profit environment preferred.
• Familiarity with Accounting systems (Great Plains or Dynamics) and dashboards (PowerBI or Tableau) a plus.
• Exposure to Great Plains and Power BI dashboards are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Operational Strategy and Management: Serve as the primary point of contact between the Finance & Accounting department and an assigned portfolio of advocacy departments for all matters related to budget, expenses, and grants.
• Lead quarterly financial check in meetings with Director of Program Finance Operations including coordinating schedules and preparing materials leveraging dashboard insights, analysis on spending trends, budget to actual variances, funding utilization.
• Support the advocacy annual budgeting and mid-year reforecast processes by partnering with advocacy teams to develop, update, and monitor budgets, including staff labor allocations to specific grants.
• Approve expenditures on Workplace platform for assigned programs in accordance with departmental guidelines and timeframes and approves adjustments on expenditures as needed and coordinates with supporting accounting back office to ensure adjustments are processed accurately and timely.
• Grants Management and Compliance: Collaborate with Development and Strategy & Operations team (SP&O) to optimize restricted grant allocations and ensure effective use of funding across budgets.
• Own the review and analysis of contracts and other funding agreements to ensure compliance with Funder/Donor requirements and assist with compiling documentation for grant audits.
• Track monthly revenue, expenditures, and burn rates for assigned grant portfolios; identify unspent balances or over-commitments and recommend corrective actions
• Financial Reporting & Analysis Prepare timely and accurate interim and final expenditure customized and standard grant reports ensuring restricted funds are used per donor intentions with minimum or limited oversight from Director of Program Finance operations.
• Prepare and present routine financial insights including KPIs for finance leadership and internal stakeholders.
• Ad Hoc and Projects Address ad-hoc requests from Finance and NRDC leadership such as historical trend analysis and key metrics reporting; Present findings in an effective, clear and concise manner using various media formats.
• Contribute to Finance and NRDC wide project initiatives/workstreams; propose solutions, perform analysis, assist with execution and planning.
• Provide financial documentation to support annual and grant-specific audits as needed.

Benefits

• We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits , and a supportive working environment.
• Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience.
• Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer .

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees